20 August 2008

Excuse me while I run to the deck to see the lightning. I love thunderstorms, but I admit to not really enjoying being right in the centre quite like this. I imagine this is a small storm compared with hurricane season in Florida. I doubt that I would enjoy these storms if there was the fear of loosing my home. My heart goes out to Judy, Jenn, Denise and Susan...be safe!

Apparently the power has gone out in parts of our city and it is lashing it down with rain. Of course on a day like this I had started my barbecue for tonights dinner....but....as was inevitable I would eventually run out of gas...so that is out. At least this tank lasted a year!! I could take the tank and get more gas...but it is lashing it down with rain...let's not forget that... and I would get wet or force an attendant to get sopping wet...so it will wait till tomorrow. Therefore my barbecue meal of Sosatie, corn on the cob, spicy sweet potatoes and tomato salad is being baked in the oven.....I hope the power does not go out in this part of the city....... (Update...the power did go off and it is the next day, the barbecue tank is refilled and it's business as usual.....)

My new favourite cookbook is by Anita Stewart called what else but Anita StewartsCanada. Canadian cuisine is what we make of it where cooking traditions and techniques from around the world have been handed down from generation to generation, and adapted to make use of what we have available locally. Canadians have been chowing down and will continue to chow down on cabbage rolls, jelly rolls, spaetzle, pilaf, rösti and shepherd's pie each and every day. Anita Stewart, the wonder woman of Canadian cuisine, has captured Canadian cuisine for what it is in her latest cookbook...I think her 14th. Eat locally as much as you can!!!

Our philosphies on cooking are somewhat similar. She says, "It's odd how early childhood tastes influence the rest of one's life. I have to admit that I still love the darkened, drier ends of a beef roast that my mom overcooked beyond description; to her, meat that looked even remotely raw was considered downright dangerous. " My own mom came from a generation during the war where food needed to be cooked and overcooked...we have come a long way baby!!!!!!!!!!!! But in saying this my own mom used what was available to her in my home province of Ontario with plenty of pork, lamb and a myriad of fresh fruit and vegetables.

This pork barbecue dish comes from Anita's cookbook with it's roots heavy in South African influence. South Africans arrived in Canada after WW2. Only a little over 1,000 people immigrate here a year from this part of the world. In 1991, the census showed only 24,725 people of South African descent living in Canada but they have left their culinary legacy.

We have a mountain here in Lake Country that is named after a famous battle in the Boer War in South Africa. They think SpionKop Mountain was named by Leslie Northcote, a veteran of the Boer War after the battle of SpionKop. It has been known to local residents by that name for close to 100 years. I have seen a photo of the area in South Africa and it does look very similar so that is most likely why he was reminded of that area. The Battle of SpionKop (Afrikaans: Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 kilometers west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa. The battle was between Boer and British forces on the 23 and 24th of January ,1900 as part of the Second Boer War. The British suffered defeat. For details of this famous battle, see here .

I barbecued this delicious meal in honour of Canada's South African influence and a few of the South African bloggers that I know of like Jeanne at Cooksister, Nina at My Easy Cooking and Inge at Vanielje Kitchen.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; saute the onions until wilted and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the curry powder; cook, stirring, for 10 to 15 seconds. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, chili flakes and apricot jam. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes before transferring to a food processor, or blender. Puree and let cool.

Salad: Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the egg and mustard. Slowly whisk in the vinegar and then the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cut tomatoes into wedges and add the onions. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes, taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Soak 10 to 12 wooden skewers for 1 hour. Thread the meat, pepper, onions and mushrooms onto the skewers and layer them in a large roasting pan.our the marinade over them. Cover and marinate for 4 hours. Drain and place skewers on the grill over medium coals; cook until meat is starting to brown and vegetables are tender-crisp. Serve with the tomato salad.

Serves 8You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison.

I don't know anything about South African cuisine. I love that much of Canadian cuisine is pretty much international cuisine. I remember when some tourists stopped me on the street and asked for a recommendation for a Canadian restaurant. I really didn't know what to suggest, so I went with a good Italian restaurant a couple of blocks away. Turns out they were visiting from Italy...Oops.

Thanks for the mention, Val and I must say that I am very impressed with our knowledge of SA history. It was amazing to read about it on a Canadian blog. Sosaties are a great favorite when we have a BBQ. I always put some dried peaches or apricots in between the cubes of meat. The general thought around sosaties is also that it has to be lamb. The minute you use beef or pork, it becomes a kebab, so they say!

Glamah & Kittie & Mary: Our Canadian cuisine is always set in another country even what we think of as true Canadian like Pea Soup, Tourtiere and Buttertarts.We are a melting pot oc cultures and have adopted other cusines as our own. The Native people are the original settlers of this land but I don't have pemmican and bannock on the menu.Peter G: I still love chicken souvlakia morePsychgrad: That is too funnyParker: You have the best pork in Ontario!!!Beth: If I still lived in Ontario pork would be a big hit. It is not as easily available here in the west.Sylvie & Gabi & That Girl: I am still trying to get photos of lightning but would have to be in the ideal location.Noble: We do eat very well:DDanger: It was excellent on the BBQJen: I would highly recommend this cookbook!!!Thanks RosaJS: If it makes you feel any better it has been raining here all week. I feel sorry for the tourists that came this week to the "sunny Okanagan"Nina: See you learn something new everyday.

Great post! And I'm fascinated that there is a Spioenkop in Canada :) We all learned about that famous battle at school in history but nobody told us there was a Canadian twin.

As for sosaties, so glad you've made and loved them :) The presence of the apricot jam is a dead giveaway that it's a South African dish (we are obsessed with the stuff!) but I agree with Nina - some dried fruit on the skewer would make it even more authentic.

Here's the recipe I posted for them, together with a detailed discussion of their culinary and etymological origins that I found totally fascinating:http://cooksister.typepad.com/cook_sister/2006/09/scenes_from_a_b_1.html

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My blog More Than Burnt Toast has been my passion for almost 9 years and has evolved with me over time as I have gained confidence in the kitchen. Follow my travels through Italy and Greece one recipe at a time, upcoming cooking classes at local Okanagan wineries and restaurants, as well as daily experimentation in my own kitchen. Every day we should be excited about what we are eating even if it just means making use of a wonderful find at our local farmers market. I look forward to getting to know you.